The Complexity Behind ‘Tim’s Vermeer’

Penn & Teller are known for their mix of magic and comedy, but for their latest trick, they’ve made a Vermeer appear — though not exactly out of thin air.

The duo is behind the documentary “Tim’s Vermeer,” to be released Jan. 31. It follows the Texas-based inventor and entrepreneur Tim Jenison as he tries to paint his own Vermeer using a method that the 17thcentury Dutch master possibly used.

But together with producers Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler, the group pressed on. Mr. Jenison built a room to replicate the scene in Vermeer’s “The Piano Lesson” and created an optic devise to assist him. “It is an insane amount of work,” said Mr. Jenison. “I couldn’t paint for more than 15 minutes at a time.”

He hit some snags along the way, but ultimately, Mr. Jenison finished the painting successfully and made a ground-breaking observation that could explain Vermeer’s use of technology. “Tim’s Vermeer” is an eight-year journey told in an 80-minute documentary – and a gripping art-history mystery.